Last Chance for Love
by Intel Master
Summary: It's Snape's final year at Hogwarts, and he knows this is his last chance to tell Lily Evans his feelings for her. Oneshot Valentine's day fic.


_Author's Note: I wrote this story around Valentine's Day (as you can tell), but I decided to post it now. Snape/Lily is one of my favorite ships. I mean, Snape was totally in love with Lily and totally tried to prevent her death on that Halloween in 1981. But I'm ranting now, so here's the fic! It's a one-shot, so there'll be no more chapters, although I might do more Snape/Lily fics in the future!_

February the 14th dawned bright and sunny, perfect weather for Valentine's Day. The brilliant sunlight made the snow on the ground sparkle and glitter, as if the snow were made of white silk and shards of silver. Many of the students at Hogwarts had gotten up early to take full advantage of the day. One of them was a young Slytherin who had always slept in for as long as possible on Valentine's Day.

The student in question crawled out of his four-poster bed at 7:30 sharp. Most of the other students in his dorm were beginning to stir, some still in a state of half-sleep. The 17-year old Slytherin pulled a set of robes out of his trunk and threw them on, trying his best to smooth out he wrinkles in the black fabric. He pulled a green and silver scarf from where it had been hanging on his bed and threw it around his neck. Glancing in a full-length mirror in the corner of the dorm, he ran a pale hand through his hair, in an attempt to smooth it out somewhat. He wanted to look his best for this day, but it was not in this student's nature to care much for his appearance. Severus Snape had never cared much for what others thought of him.

But today was different.

Severus grabbed an envelope from his bedside table before sweeping from the dorm into the Common Room. There were a few students there, lounging around in high-backed chairs of green leather. Some were congregating around a low table, hastily scribbling out messages on parchment, most likely to be delivered to their beaus. Some of the students waved at Severus or called out a greeting, but Severus only nodded his head wordlessly in response. The stone wall that concealed the entrance to the Slytherin Common Room melted away as Severus marched out and up the dungeon stairs.

Severus walked nervously upwards, a shaking hand held in his black robes. The hand was clutching onto the envelope, and contained within it was a piece of parchment cut into a heart, which had been enchanted to be bright pink. He knew very well whom he was going to give it to. The idea of Valentine's Day usually made Severus feel somewhat disgusted. Love, hearts, giggling girls exchanging love notes and cards in the hallways, stupid decorations…

But this year Severus had different feelings about the holiday. There was a certain someone who he had to tell his feelings to, someone who had been in Severus's mind and heart since the day he met her. And he knew he'd never get a better chance then now.

Severus Snape was in his last year at Hogwarts, but his appearance had changed little from when he'd taken his O.W.L.s two years ago. His black hair was still long and greasy, his skin still sallow and pale, and the omnipresent curl of his lip was as sarcastic and contemptuous as ever. He was a little taller then when he was 15, a little skinnier, and the beginning of a scraggly moustache was growing on his upper lip. All in all, he was not one of the most attractive boys in school.

Snape was sure that this would be his last chance to tell this person how he felt about her. Once they graduated form Hogwarts at the end of the year, he was sure he'd never see her again…

And what better day to tell her how he felt then today?

Severus swept into the Entrance Hall of the school, ignoring the colorful flowers being held by the ancient suits of armor and the pink streamers suspended across the ceiling. Not knowing where she was, Severus checked the Great Hall first. He poked his head around the doorway, and was disgusted to see that long pink-and-red banners were hanging from the walls. Severus quickly scanned his eyes over the Hall, but could not see her or her friends. He was about to investigate closer when he saw James Potter and his gang of rotten friends finishing their breakfast. Severus had no intention of tangling with Potter or his pals today. He was sure that after they cursed him, they would find the envelope in his robes, read the contents and find out who it was for, and either laugh at him or hex him again. Scowling, and wishing nothing but ill will for the four Gryffindors, Snape retreated back to the Entrance Hall.

Where could she be? She couldn't still be in bed, as she never slept in. Severus began to walk towards the giant oak doors at the opposite end of the hall, which led out to the grounds of the school.

A chill wind blew snow into Severus's face, making him draw his scarf higher up his face and neck. Severus's black eyes swept across the large icy grounds of Hogwarts. The entire lawn was covered in snow, sparkling and shimmering in the morning sun. The immense lake that dominated the front of the grounds was completely covered in black ice; there were marks on the surface where students had been skating. But there was little sign of life on the grounds that morning, and Severus could not see HER or her friends. Just as he was about to give up and head back into the Great Hall for breakfast, he saw her standing near the castle, with some of her friends. Despite the swirling snow and decreased visibility, there was no mistaking her: long, dark red hair, red-and-gold scarf, and green eyes.

Eyes that had held Severus since the day he had seen them through the steam of a cauldron in his first Potions class.

Eyes that Severus had seen filled with laughter, worry, tears, anger and joy.

Severus's hand reached into his robes and held onto the envelope inside. He walked closer to the group of girls, until he was about 6 feet from them. One of them noticed him and whispered to the others. The girl with dark red hair turned around and smiled.

"Severus! What are you doing out here?"

"Just enjoying the morning air, Lily."

"Lovely day, isn't it?" Lily Evans gestured to the lawns covered in snow as she spoke.

"Yes, lovely," said Severus. But he wasn't thinking about the morning.

"Oh, Severus, I was meaning to ask you, did you finish Slughorn's essay on Veriteserum?"

The corner of Severus's mouth twitched upward in a grin. "I would have thought that the famous Lily Evans would have had no trouble on an essay on Veriterserum. It's not that difficult to understand."

"I know," Lily shook her head, "but I think there was one thing I'm missing in it. One of the last steps in making it, do you have to add the Jobberknoll feathers before or after you…"

Severus was only half listening to Lily. He wanted to help her with her essay, but he found it hard to focus on something so mundane as schoolwork when she was talking to him. The snow blew around her, catching in her hair, on her robes, on her long eyelashes. The wind played with her hair, tossing it around her shoulders and blowing strands in her face. Her normally fair cheeks were slightly pink from the wind, but it only made her lovelier. Muggle-born though she may be, she was the most talented and beautiful witch Severus had ever, and would ever, know.

"…have to be stored at a certain temperature?" Lily finished.

"Hmm? Oh, yes. Yes, the Jobberknoll feathers are added after the potion comes to a boil, and then you have to let them seep for 2 days before removing them. And it doesn't matter what temperature the potion is stored at, so long as it's not overly hot."

Lily smiled gratefully at Severus. Severus smiled back, but he could feel a line of sweat running down the side of his face. It was now or never.

"Lily? I have…something for you."

Lily looked slightly surprised as Severus pulled the envelope out of his robes. He handed it to her, and she opened it with slightly numb fingers. Severus watched anxiously as she pulled out the pink heart from inside. It was hard to register what emotions her face was showing.

"Will…will you be my Valentine?" The words almost stuck in Severus's throat and made him feel like gagging; he had never said that to anyone before, but he quickly composed himself when he remembered who he was talking to. There was no way he was going to mess this up. No way.

"Oh…Severus…that's so sweet. Thank you." Lily smiled and Severus smiled back, filled with hope and joy. She had liked his card, and said he was sweet! But her next word brought those feelings crashing down around Severus's ears.

"…but, you see, I don't know if you've heard…but I'm going out with James Potter now." Her pink cheeks grew slightly pinker, as if she was embarrassed. But it was nothing to what Severus Snape felt.

James Potter? That big-headed loser? That arrogant jerk, that show-off who cursed people just for fun? That prat who had made Severus's life a living Hell for the past seven years? The Head Boy?

"But, but…" Severus struggled to find the right words for a second, "but he's the most arrogant JERK in this school!" He was almost screaming.

"He's changed, Severus. He's not the kid he was last year. He's much sweeter now, he's kinder. Surely you've noticed that he's stopped hexing people in the hallways?"

Severus's lip curled in an unpleasant way. James and his horrible friends had never stopped cursing Severus whenever they say him. They had always made an exception for him.

"If you haven't noticed, Evans, your _boyfriend_ ALWAYS goes out of his way to attack me, even now!"

Lily was starting to look impatient as well. "Look, _Snape_, I'm sorry, but I can't. I appreciate the card, but I can't be your Valentine. We can still be friends though, can't we? We can still study together in Potions."

Any other day Severus may have accepted this offer, would have been glad for Lily to ask for them to continue being friends, but not today.

"Forget it," he said. "You can go be friends with your bloody Potter for all I care." And seething with rage, he stormed off.

It wasn't fair that Lily Evans, the most perfect girl in the school, had to fall for the biggest moron on the face of the earth. For months, MONTHS, Severus had been planning this, and it had to be destroyed by that damn boy. Why couldn't James Potter keep his swelled head out of Sevreus's business for once in his life?

As he swept back into the castle, not bothering to apologize to a second-year he knocked into, only one thought consumed Severus Snape's mind.

Revenge.

One day, one day soon, he would make James Potter pay for everything he'd done.


End file.
